Lígia turned to her side, sinking into the enchanted silk mattress, wrapped in blankets charmed to maintain the perfect temperature.
She sighed.
Finally peace.
"Five hours of sleep Just that Please universe I was diplomatic"
But the universe had a sense of humor.
Because what followed wasn't the sweet void of sleep, but… the sound of crystal shattering.
And then, darkness.
And then… too much light.
When Lígia's eyes opened, they weren't in her room.
They were staring at a starry sky that moved like a living painting, with constellations dancing in arcane rhythms and floating pillars supporting the void — the space between realities where the Hidden Academy manifested.
In the center of it all, on a suspended platform traced with mana in red and silver, there was a reclining silhouette.
And a goblet.
"Oh no..." muttered Lígia, her voice still sleepy and thoroughly miserable.
"Good morning Girl" said a voice that was musical and ironic.
Lígia sat up with effort. Her sleepwear had been replaced by polished black leather boots, finely cut trousers, and a high-collared blouse. Even the d'Argêntea House brooch gleamed on her shoulder.
"Lady Asvalira" she said, eyes half-closed "what exactly did I do to deserve this planar abduction at three in the morning"
Lady Asvalira was lounging on a floating chaise, holding a glass of wine with a smile that blended sarcasm and scholarly interest.
"You woke up famous darling And with a vampiric domain Do you really think we'd let you sleep after that"
Lígia rubbed her face
"I didn't do it on purpose"
"Which is precisely why it's worse" said Asvalira, crossing her legs with elegance "Pure instinct Arcane pressure on three heirs and a prince The magical walls of the Academy trembled I thought it was a dimensional collapse And it was just you... giving a masterclass in presence"
Lígia mumbled something unintelligible, lay back down on the glowing floor of the academic plane, and turned her back on the professor
"I'll pretend I don't exist When you're done judging me with that wine let me know"
Lady Asvalira chuckled softly and took a sip
"Oh Lígia This isn't judgment It's professional admiration with a dash of institutional panic"
She rose effortlessly
"Now stand up We have much to analyze before you accidentally start another revolution"
Lígia groaned
"System... save me Tell me I'm dreaming"
The system floated into view wearing a student's hood and holding a holographic notepad
"You are dreaming yes But it's a dream with exams"
---
Lígia was finally standing Not by choice but because Lady Asvalira had snapped her fingers and the floor beneath her tilted until standing was the only reasonable option
"Better now" the professor asked, arching a perfectly sculpted brow
"No But apparently my will doesn't count for much here"
"Oh dear" replied Asvalira with a sharp smile "nor in the rest of the world"
The floating platform beneath them expanded in concentric rings
Lady Asvalira raised her goblet as if toasting some ancient truth
"You awakened a Domain And not just any A Vampiric Domain Nearly... extinct"
Lígia crossed her arms
"Instinctive Is that your polite way of saying I triggered it without knowing what I was doing"
"Yes And also my way of saying that if we don't learn to shape it you'll cause emotional meltdowns and diplomatic incidents every time you get angry"
"Great Diplomacy was already my weak point"
"Now it's your explosive point"
Lady Asvalira set the goblet in midair and clasped her hands behind her back Her voice changed — less ironic now More... liturgical
"Every Domain begins with an Order The first is the foundation The vampiric one is instinct It turns blood into compass emotion into scent lie into taste"
She raised a hand and behind her a floating anatomical map of the human body formed in crimson lines
"ORDER 1 — PREDATORY SENSES"
The letters shimmered in the air like a sacred title
"It's where every true vampire begins Not with power But with perception You'll learn to hear blood from miles away To detect illness in a single heartbeat To distinguish ancient bloodlines by the metallic flavor they leave in the air"
Lígia blinked
"That sounds... incredibly intimate And a little gross"
"It's sensory magic not a dinner" replied Asvalira with a narrow smile "But make no mistake This Order is what separates a gifted heir from a sacred predator"
She approached Lígia slowly, hand extended
"Close your eyes"
"Are we really doing this"
"If you open your eyes you'll see the world If you close them... maybe you'll feel it"
Reluctantly Lígia obeyed
Silence fell like a curtain
And then — a snap
Not audible But internal
Lígia felt the warmth around her shift The smell... changed The air once clean now carried metallic notes sweet and bitter like each particle held a secret
"Focus on what you feel Not with your skin With your blood"
Asvalira's voice was firm yet distant — as if she were speaking from inside a temple
"Someone is ill among the echoes A trace of magical fever Can you feel it"
Lígia didn't respond
But she felt it
Like a sharp tang on the roof of her mouth A subtle acidity in the air
"Good Now go deeper"
Another scent
Dense Like aged wine But there was more Something old
"A lineage That's a trace of House Ferrosin" murmured Asvalira "Iron and smoke Blood hardened by duty"
Lígia shivered Her senses were blazing She could almost hear a heart beating beyond the plane
"This is the real danger of the Domain" said the professor circling her "It doesn't just show the world It shows too much If you don't learn to filter you'll be consumed Because where others see faces... you'll sense flesh Desire Fear Lies"
Lígia opened her eyes suddenly Gasping
The world felt... much louder now As if reality had layers all speaking at once
Asvalira smiled, pleased
"Congratulations You've begun"
"Begun what"
She stepped closer, adjusting Lígia's uniform collar like a loving mother sending her child to the slaughter
"Walking among predators And recognizing them... by their scent"
"You'll feel it" said Lady Asvalira, her voice lower now, eyes catching a gleam of something sharper beneath the elegance
"And you'll hate it Because it's uncomfortable It's raw The world, when revealed through vampiric senses, is a shattered mirror Ugly Too honest"
Lígia stood at the center of the arcane circle Eyes half-closed Breathing controlled
"Let's begin with desire"
Asvalira snapped her fingers
Immediately, the air changed Not physically — but emotionally
A pressure swept in Like too many eyes watching Like expectations pressing from all sides Like hands not quite touching, but hovering too close
Lígia swallowed
"What is this"
"Desire" Asvalira answered with calm precision
"The lowest of intentions yet the strongest If you can't recognize it you'll be manipulated before you even realize you're being seen"
Another snap The runes shifted their glow
"Now Find the source"
Lígia closed her eyes Waited Listened
Then — she found it
Not one source Three
Three different pulses Each dripping with a flavor of want
One was nervous Another obsessive The third… contained But intense
"One... two... three The second is the most dangerous It hides better"
Asvalira stopped circling
"You felt them all"
Lígia opened her eyes, slightly confused
"Was I... not supposed to"
For two full seconds, Asvalira just stared at her
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she summoned a new formation of runes
"Let's try lies If you pass this without blinking I swear I'll toast your existence"
The space warped The air sweetened subtly
The mana's texture now held something deceitful — not strong, but slippery
"Two lies One truth" said Asvalira "Point to the real one"
Lígia closed her eyes again A faint smirk touched her lips
"Easy"
She extended her hand Left
"This one It smells right Blood doesn't lie Even when faces do"
Asvalira raised an eyebrow
"Another round"
This time faster
More complicated
Three again
Then five
Some with blended emotions
Lígia didn't flinch
She moved with eerie calm
It was as if she could hear feelings dancing in bloodstreams
Each new scenario Asvalira threw was answered with surgical accuracy
No hesitation
No second-guessing
By the end of it, the professor sighed
Long and exhausted
Lígia blinked
"Wait Was that wrong I can try to fail if you want"
"No Chaos goddess disguised as a girl" Asvalira muttered, theatrically annoyed
"You're right That's the problem"
She walked to the edge of the magic circle and looked out into the void
Then, softly, almost as if confessing to herself
"System" she whispered "She's a genius But she doesn't know it"
The interface shimmered nearby The holographic cat stretched lazily on his floating pillow
"That's exactly why she's dangerous" he purred
"Conscious geniuses are sharp Unconscious ones... are unpredictable And more... charming"
"Charming" Asvalira glanced sideways at the spectral feline
"In a catastrophic way"
Asvalira rolled her eyes
Back at the center of the circle Lígia stood waiting patiently
Eyes focused Expression hopeful
Like a student who turned in all the right answers but worried she used the wrong ink color
"Professor Can I ask what my score was"
Asvalira sighed Ran a hand down her face
Then looked her straight in the eye
And replied with honey-dipped venom
"Score Zero For humiliating the entire evaluation system Tomorrow I'll have to invent a new scale"
Lígia just smiled
"That means I did well right"
Asvalira reached for her wine, took a long drink, and muttered under her breath
"Genius Stupid genius But still... a genius"
Lígia, unaware, tilted her head slightly
"Do we have more lessons tonight"
Asvalira drank again
"Unfortunately Yes"